Babar Azam is among three players denied permission by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play in the forthcoming Global T20 Canada due to workload concerns.
Fellow all-format players Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi will also be absent from the annual competition, which begins next week.
Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Nawaz have all been cleared to feature by the PCB, who refused fast bowler Naseem Shah permission to play in The Hundred.
The governing body say the players' welfare is at the forefront of their decision.
"After taking into consideration Pakistan's busy and packed cricket calendar... and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests," a statement read.
"The three are all-format cricketers and their services are expected to be required in the upcoming eight months during which Pakistan will play nine tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20Is.
"As such, and in line with the PCB's workload management policy, it is in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and the players that they skip the upcoming event in Canada so that they are in their best mental and physical shape for the season."
Dream come true: Hodge relishes maiden Test ton; opens up about initial struggle to break into Windies setup
When England posted 416 on the opening day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, many felt West Indies chances of even getting close to that total were dimmed by the host’s formidable bowling attack.
But as the sun rose high in the Nottingham sky on Friday’s second day, so did the fortunes of the Caribbean side, thanks to a stunning fightback led by the ever-composed Kavem Hodge.
The Dominican batsman, in only his second Test series, etched his name in the annals of cricketing history, as he scored a maiden Test century, a knock that not only underscored his talent and grit, but more importantly, revived West Indies hopes of securing a positive result on this occasion.
Hodge’s 120 off 171 balls, ensured that West Indies, who were hammered by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test at Lord’s, closed the day at 351-5, 65 runs behind heading into Saturday’s third day.
“It's a dream come true,” Hodge, who made his debut against Australia earlier this year, declared in a post-day press conference.
“Obviously, playing the game from a youngster growing up, that's something that you want to do, especially at the highest level in England against England. I'm really happy and I'm satisfied about it, especially, also given the position that the team is in, it's always good to help to the team, so I'm grateful for that,” he added.
Coming to the crease with the West Indies teetering at 84-3, Hodge faced a daunting task, as the Andre Coley-coached side needed a hero –or in this case, two. This, as Hodge had an able partner in his Dominican compatriot Alick Athanaze, who made a well-played 99-ball 82.
Together, they steadied the innings, with a crucial 175-run fourth-wicket partnership that took the fight to the English bowlers. Hodge played the perfect foil to Athanaze's aggression, rotating the strike and providing the support his teammate needed.
“We always batted well together, we played for the same franchise back home and we've had a lot of partnerships, big partnerships. So it's always good to spend time with him. He's a bit more aggressive than I am. I'm more the accumulator, so I tend to go under the radar and go about my business quietly, but it is always great to spend time with him at the wicket,” Hodge said of 25-year-old Athanaze.
“It's always good to know that the friends, family, and the nation is looking on. That's one of the things you want to do as an ambassador for your country, is put them on the map. Always have a positive light for your country. So I'm really grateful for that,” he added in reference to Dominica celebrating their feat.
Reflecting on his innings, Hodge pointed to the importance of staying focused and taking things in stride. In fact, the 31-year-old even highlights that his current success is a testament to his unflinching desire and resilience, as there were times when being overlooked sparked doubts about his ability to make it to the big stage.
However, after scoring 18 half-centuries, five centuries, and over 3,000 runs at the First Class level, the all-rounder, who also took 2-44 during England's innings, eventually got the big break against Australia in February.
“There were times where I started to doubt myself because I wasn't getting the opportunity. There were times where, you know, to make a test team, obviously because of COVID, we had something called the best invest where they would, like, bring guys in and then they would split the squad into two, and then we would have warm up games and practice games to select the team.
“I think I've taken part in that, like six or seven times, and every time, a selector or the coach would come to me and say, ‘we're not going to select you; we're looking in this direction’. So every time I went to the best invest, it just took a little bit out of me. But I'm just grateful that I stuck with it and things are now working out, so I'm happy for that,” Hodge explained.
He continued: “So it (century) was always a dream, and I always wanted to just give myself the best chance to get there. There were times where I had a little bit of doubt, but I never thought about giving up. I always thought I would just try and try and try. If it didn't happen, it didn't happen.
“But I'm grateful that it happened, and it's happening. So I think for me, it's never settling, never getting too ahead of the game. It's just a matter of staying in the moment, enjoying it, and just keep trying to be a better version of myself, every match, every training, and not get complacent.”
Having helped West Indies back in contention with his welcome knock, Hodge stressed the need for the Kraigg Brathwaite-captained team to remain positive for the remainder of the series.
“I think it was just a matter of staying positive. You know, we're not the only team who've lost a Test match in two days. Many other teams have had that happen to them, so it's just a matter of learning from it. The condition is new for a lot of us. This is my first time to England, so it's just a matter of learning and learning quickly, adapting to the conditions, and find ways to improve and move forward,” Hodge reasoned.
“And when we get the opportunity to bat, you know, take it deep, as we've seen today (Friday). It was really good batting wicket, so it was very imperative that once we got the opportunity to get in, we stay in and dig deep and put our team in a good position,” he ended.
Hodge hits maiden Test hundred, Athanaze makes 82 to lead West Indies fightback on day two
Spirited efforts from Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze led an excellent West Indian batting performance on day two of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge on Friday.
Replying to England’s 416 all out on day one, the West Indians reached 351-5 off 84 overs at stumps on day two, trailing their English counterparts by just 65 runs.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis got proceedings off to a good start for the West Indies with a 53-run opening partnership despite a testing spell of bowling from Mark Wood which saw him record a delivery at 97.1 miles per hour.
That partnership ended in the 15th over when Louis went caught off the bowling of off-spinner Shoaib Bashir for 21.
The skipper and new batsman Kirk McKenzie put on a further 25 before Brathwaite was next to go in the 22nd over, caught at short leg by Ollie Pope off the bowling of first Test hero Gus Atkinson for a well-played 48, his highest score since a 75 in July 2023 against India in Port-of-Spain.
Then, on the stroke of lunch, McKenzie played an ill-advised shot off the bowling of Bashir to fall for 11 and leave the tourists 84-3 in the 25th over.
The post-lunch session then saw the Dominican pair of Hodge and Athanaze brilliantly navigating some probing bowling from the hosts.
Hodge did have one reprieve when he was dropped by Joe Root off the bowling of Wood in the 42nd over.
The pair carried on to put on 175 for the fourth wicket before Athanaze unfortunately fell 18 runs shy of a well-deserved maiden Test hundred off the bowling of England captain Ben Stokes in the 62nd over.
Hodge went on to bring up an excellent maiden Test ton of his own with a brilliant straight drive for four off Wood.
His hundred came off 143 balls and included 17 fours. He was eventually dismissed by Chris Woakes in the 75th over for 120 off 171 balls.
"It was important we put our heads down and took some info from the England first innings," Hodge told Sky Sports at the end of the day.
"We made use of a good batting track. It feels amazing [to make a century], it is always good to contribute to the team, especially coming off the first Test when we didn't do so well as a batting unit.
On the partnership with Athanaze, he added: "Facing [Mark] Wood, it is not every day you face a guy who bowls every single ball over 90 miles per hour. It was really important we got through that period as it would have been really difficult for a new batter to start against that."
The not out batsmen at the crease at stumps were Joshua Da Silva on 32* and Jason Holder on 23*. The pair have, so far, put on 46 for the sixth wicket.
Shoaib Bashir was England’s most successful bowler on the day with 2-100 from 23 overs.
Full Scores:
England 416 all out off 88.3 overs (Ollie Pope 121, Ben Duckett 71, Ben Stokes 69, Alzarri Joseph 3-98, Kavem Hodge 2-44, Kevin Sinclair 2-73, Jayden Seales 2-90)
West Indies 351-5 off 84 overs (Kavem Hodge 120, Alick Athanaze 82, Kraigg Brathwaite 48, Shoaib Bashir 2-100)
Pope hails 'lucky charm' Ramsdale after Windies century
Ollie Pope saluted "lucky charm" Aaron Ramsdale following his impressive century against West Indies.
Pope struck 121 from 165 deliveries at Trent Bridge as England began the second Test of their series against the Windies in dominant fashion.
Arsenal goalkeeper Ramsdale was a guest of Gunners fan Pope on Thursday, having also watched his double century against Ireland last year.
And after his sixth Test century helped England to 416 all out, the 26-year-old feels Ramsdale, who was part of the Three Lions squad that reached the Euro 2024 final, is a lucky omen.
"He messaged me last night and I managed to sort him a couple of tickets. He can come more often," Pope said.
"I'm obviously a big Arsenal fan, so I go to support him a fair bit. He seems to be my lucky charm on the cricket pitch as well."
Pope opened 2024 with a superb 196 against India in Hyderabad, but scored over 30 just once in the subsequent four Tests of the tour, while a contribution of 63 was his best for Surrey in this season's County Championship.
The 26-year-old was left questioning his ability, but highlighted the influence of England batting coach Marcus Trescothick on his upturn in fortunes in this series.
"I wouldn’t say I had doubts," Pope added, "but I was thinking: 'why is everyone else in the country scoring runs in county cricket, but England's number three isn't going out and averaging 50?'
"[Marcus] came to London, and we did some really good work, which has put me in really good stead for the Test summer."
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